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Nothing gobbles up energy—and eats away at a homeowner’s budget—like heating and cooling the home’s interior. Considering the number of points in a traditionally-built home where air—along with the money you’ve spent to warm it up—leaks in and out, dad’s classic question of, “Are you trying to heat the outdoors?” comes to mind.[continue reading]

Consulting online reviews has become an integral part of the modern consumer’s buying process. A recent study from Dimensional research found that the buying decisions of 90% of respondents were influenced by positive online reviews, while 86% were influenced by negative reviews.[continue reading]

As someone aware of your environment, you know many areas have water issues. You see it every day on TV or in the press: Is our water safe to drink? Is there enough? Are we headed toward restrictions or rationing? How about water for farming? And water use has an impact on your wallet: The average home spends around 20% of its annual energy bill just heating hot water. [continue reading]

One challenge seems to be at the forefront of a lot of the discussions I'm having with colleagues and associates these last few weeks is sales. Closing sales. Making the sale. Getting some traction...getting any movement at all...
Mark Mitchell is a sales and marketing consultant for the building materials industry who writes a good blog. I have been reading Mark's blog for a little while now, diving into the archives ...[continue reading]

It’s no secret that finances are often a barrier to home performance upgrades for homeowners. This is precisely why programs like the PowerSaver loan program are helpful as they work with contractors and equipment installers interested in offering energy efficient financing at the point of sale.[continue reading]

Without sales a terrible thing happens: nothing. In our corner of the shelter industry, the role of salesperson is played by craftsmen, technicians, diagnosticians, and others calling themselves designers, estimators, or consultants. Very few want to be called salesperson and fewer willingly expose themselves to sales training. The result may be that the public is able to buy our products and services at bargain basement prices, often below cost. This purchase is made from a ...[continue reading]

Gone are the days when a programmable thermostat and dimmable lights equated to sound home energy management. The latest generation of technology includes smart thermostats, Wi-Fi enabled lighting, and home automation systems. Some of these technologies reduce energy consumption while others are just plain gimmicky. Optimizing space heating and having a refrigerator that can play music while accessing a cooking website are not in the same category. They both have value but we need to ...[continue reading]

This posting will discuss three of the sensory inputs that affect how we perceive building design. It may seem a stretch to consider how taste, touch, and smell, would impact building design until you think about it from the perspective of evolutionary development.[continue reading]

Despite today’s mobile technology, same-day delivery, and live streaming conveniences, there is one thing people still wait for at home: hot water. Just as ill-planned ductwork can decrease a home’s energy performance (even with efficient equipment and insulation), a poorly designed plumbing system can make homeowners wait for—and waste—hot water.[continue reading]

I recently attended the conference for the North American Passive House Network (NAPHN). NAPHN promotes and mobilizes North American building industries to implement the international Passive House Standard and dramatically improve the quality and sustainability of our built environment. The Internation Passive House Association, headquartered in Germany, has been around for 27 years and recently certified its 1 millionth square meter (10,764 millionth square foot).[continue reading]